diff --git a/action/index.cjs b/action/index.cjs
index 1e486eb..9d5b763 100644
--- a/action/index.cjs
+++ b/action/index.cjs
@@ -188079,6 +188079,7 @@ const robot = (app) => {
                 // since the token owner can be changed at protocol level at any time, it's enough to check the ownership of the token,
                 // without checking any previous owners
                 const apiUrl = getApiUrl();
+                await checkIfTickerAlreadyExists(token);
                 const tokenOwner = await getTokenOwnerFromApi(token, apiUrl);
                 if (new out_1.Address(tokenOwner).isContractAddress()) {
                     return await fetchStringValueFromApi(apiUrl, "accounts", tokenOwner, "ownerAddress");
@@ -188099,7 +188100,7 @@ const robot = (app) => {
                     return response.data;
                 }
                 catch (error) {
-                    console.error(`Cannot query API at ${requestUrl}: ${error}`);
+                    console.error(`Cannot query API at ${requestUrl} : ${error}`);
                     return '';
                 }
             }
@@ -188154,6 +188155,23 @@ const robot = (app) => {
                     .filter(x => x);
                 return [...new Set(tokens)];
             }
+            async function checkIfTickerAlreadyExists(tokenName) {
+                const tokensDirPath = (network === "mainnet") ? "/tokens" : `/${network}/tokens`;
+                const response = await context.octokit.repos.getContent({
+                    owner: context.repo().owner,
+                    repo: context.repo().repo,
+                    path: tokensDirPath,
+                });
+                const tokenTicker = tokenName.split("-")[0];
+                if (!tokenTicker) {
+                    return;
+                }
+                const tokensDirectories = (response.data && response.data.length) ? response.data : [];
+                const subdirectories = tokensDirectories.filter((content) => content?.type === "dir" && content?.name?.startsWith(tokenTicker));
+                if (subdirectories.length) {
+                    await fail(`Token with ticker ${tokenTicker} already exists!`);
+                }
+            }
             async function fail(reason) {
                 await createComment(reason);
                 console.error(reason);
diff --git a/src/bot.ts b/src/bot.ts
index 8abc3b5..d924ed2 100644
--- a/src/bot.ts
+++ b/src/bot.ts
@@ -127,6 +127,8 @@ export const robot = (app: Probot) => {
           // without checking any previous owners
           const apiUrl = getApiUrl();
 
+          await checkIfTickerAlreadyExists(token);
+
           const tokenOwner = await getTokenOwnerFromApi(token, apiUrl);
           if (new Address(tokenOwner).isContractAddress()) {
             return await fetchStringValueFromApi(apiUrl, "accounts", tokenOwner, "ownerAddress");
@@ -149,7 +151,7 @@ export const robot = (app: Probot) => {
             const response = await axios.get(requestUrl);
             return response.data;
           } catch (error) {
-            console.error(`Cannot query API at ${requestUrl}: ${error}`);
+            console.error(`Cannot query API at ${requestUrl} : ${error}`);
             return '';
           }
         }
@@ -224,6 +226,28 @@ export const robot = (app: Probot) => {
           return [...new Set(tokens)];
         }
 
+        async function checkIfTickerAlreadyExists(tokenName: string) {
+          const tokensDirPath = (network === "mainnet") ? "/tokens" : `/${network}/tokens`;
+          const response = await context.octokit.repos.getContent({
+            owner: context.repo().owner,
+            repo: context.repo().repo,
+            path: tokensDirPath,
+          });
+
+          const tokenTicker = tokenName.split("-")[0];
+          if (!tokenTicker) {
+            return;
+          }
+          const tokensDirectories = (response.data && (response.data as any[]).length) ? response.data as any[] : [];
+          const subdirectories = tokensDirectories.filter(
+            (content) => content?.type === "dir" && content?.name?.startsWith(tokenTicker),
+          );
+
+          if (subdirectories.length) {
+            await fail(`Token with ticker ${tokenTicker} already exists!`);
+          }
+        }
+
         async function fail(reason: string) {
           await createComment(reason);
           console.error(reason);